The Top Bidders in Yahoo's Sale, From Verizon to YP Holdings

04/20/2016 04:45 pm ETUpdated
Dec 06, 2017

By Laura Woods, Contributor

The Yahoo sale officially entered its second stage as the company released its dismal first quarter earnings report. Although the tech giant has tried to compete with the likes of Google and Facebook by spending billions of dollars acquiring other companies and boosting spending in areas like mobile and video, their efforts have largely failed.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and the company's board are making the Yahoo sale a top priority in an attempt to get the best price for the ailing corporation. Here's a look at the company's biggest bidders.

The Top Bidders in Yahoo's Sale

Initially, the number of potential buyers planning to make a Yahoo bid reportedly hovered around 40, but that number has dwindled. Verizon Communications Inc., YP Holdings and private equity firm TPG have all placed bids, as well as an investor group composed of Bain Capital, Vista Equity Partners and former Yahoo CEO Ross Levinsohn.

While Reuters has placed Yahoo's value at around $34.6 billion, most bids have only ranged between $4 billion and $8 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Verizon: Valued at $202.5 billion, according to Forbes. The carrier purchased AOL for $4.4 billion in 2015. Verizon is rumored to have plans of starting a video advertising business and will potentially use Yahoo to support web traffic.

YP Holdings: Previously YellowPages.com. YP Holding is rumored to use Yahoo to expand its digital advertising business. YP is valued at $2.5 billion.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Net Worth: $380 Million

With a $42 million payday in 2014, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is one of the highest-paid CEOs in the country, bringing her net worth to $380 million, according to Forbes. Prior to taking the helm at Yahoo, she spent 13 years at Google. If the Yahoo sale happens and Mayer is ousted, she's slated to receive a buyout of approximately $59 million, reported Inc.